NAIROBI, Kenya, March 11, 2026 – Tusker FC assistant coach Anthony ‘Modo’ Kimani says the players have become hungry for goals after the arrival of Frenchman Julien Mette.
Kimani says the team are increasingly better at converting their chances and will only get hungrier with time.
“I think it’s the players more than us. They are showing the desire and the hunger to try and push more. Even when we get goals, they still want to try and push more to see whether we can get more goals,” the gaffer says.
Kimani says Mette has instilled a killer instinct in the players as seen in their relentless push for more goals whenever they score.
“That’s the attitude that the coach has tried to instill in the players, that winning mindset, that killer instinct…that every time you get an opportunity to get a goal, make sure you get it. The more goals you get, of course, the more difficult it is for any opponent to bounce back,” the former AFC Leopards, Ulinzi and Kenya Police boss said.
He added: “We are glad that players are still getting hungry in as much as you’re getting a goal or two. They still want to keep on piling more goals. As you’ve seen here today, we probably had an opportunity to add the third or fourth. Hopefully, we will see that in the next match that is coming up.”
Quick turnaround
Mette replaced Charles Okere as head coach in February and has transformed the fortunes of the brewers in a short time.
The former Rayon Sports tactician has won three out of the four matches in charge despite kickstarting his reign with a 1-0 loss to Shabana.
Victories over Murang’a Seal (1-0), Kariobangi Sharks (2-1) and Bidco (2-0) have resuscitated Tusker’s 2025/26 season, which had been wobbly at best.
Despite conceding the Kenya Premier League title, the brewers are still in with a chance of silverware — particularly the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Cup where other favourites, Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, have been eliminated.
Their triumph over Bidco in the FKF Cup round of 32 was yet another milestone in their journey to the top.
An apostle of possession-based football, Mette has gone about instilling this philosophy at Ruaraka Grounds as was seen in the nature of the two goals scored against the oil merchants.
Upcoming test of character
Up next for Mette and Co. is their toughest test yet in the top flight — a duel with Gor Mahia on March 19.
The league leaders will be looking to widen the distance between them and second-placed AFC Leopards in their quest for a 22nd title.
However, Kimani believes the extended break will work in the brewers’ favour — considering Gor still have to visit relegation-threatened Ulinzi Stars on Sunday evening.
“I think it’s a welcomed period because we had played three or four very, very intensive matches within a very short span of time. We were starting to see a lot of tired legs out there, a lot of fatigue was starting to slowly but surely creep into our players. So I’m pretty sure the rest period that we have is going to be very instrumental in terms of managing the load that the players have accumulated so far,” Kimani said.
The first meeting between the two sides this season ended in a 1-0 victory for K’Ogalo at Kasarani Stadium.
With the 13-time champions picking up form at the right time, could they muddy the waters for Charles Akonnor’s side by avenging their loss in November last year?
